The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-06-23

A - naGaEsA Csssey /. ~
A comparatively little = h... a.
Smyrna, Tie southern tssuisus q ..
railway extension from this eity. -.
Augustine Weekly, the foiIowins vsrv,..
skstca from the pen Of Major Co R -.
viii b Iouad worthy Of careful peru..,
TEE rua1suLL c0Iosr AT sr~~r.s. . i.
When the English crown scou;,.a -
treaty In 1853, in value - se.ui s,.-.A b
sltufal region Of vast extent vas .,sssm
Compesies were formed, q VISA s1aka
those days, Sos the establishment Of $50
the newly acquired region, 10 which -.
caassd many o. the nobility aud eealIs,.
fortune The country was examines 80
fiem The crown were obtained on . ~ sah
mensufate with the influence Of tie 49,: go
the extent Of their plans OF coloni..tscs
The most considerable Of the land -.
certainly the most valuable the sy,~ Nd
quality Of valuable lands on the H;.ss Nd
Halifax rivers considered. were the er..,s y Nd
vicinity Of what ID now known a. New S.nas
At this point IN entrance from the ~. syn.
into tide rivera extending parallel v;,S :
coast distance OF twenty or thirty miIes. 49,
and south, giving convenient water comr.ssu
ton TO . large scope OF country. A. :.
coast lay Immediately on the riyers . Ne
good hammock, wooded with the live 80
bage palmetto. ETC., about half mile /, d,.se
with An interval Of pine land Of nearly !. 80;
width. came o heavy body of low hammo.L
u two miles in width and extending nearir 49,
miles north and south
This favorable location was selec,sa
company OF English and Scotch gentle:..
noblemeu and Others, for occupation nv . -
- - an in ha r,rodnn N9F
fruits and commercial products DR.. No..
Turnbull, Scotchman, located far lon~ :.
Rod as . government official al Smyrn. 4 iS.
Minor, Was the main protector aud m.ns,.. =
the enterprise, for which his long residence -.
similar climate well fitted him The entsr..:'.
was on large scale. 1t was deemed imr.sa'
cable and probably unwise TO attempt The ~
| ing in of the requisite labor from the R,;,J
| Isfes, and resort was had to the dense ~.
lation along the shores Of TIE Meditersnsss
Vessels and supplies were procured O.
| meucing at Smyrna, colonis,s were emhs,S.s
| from Asia Minor, then the Greek Archinei.ss.
| and coasting along westward Others were -.
] cured from Italy, Minorca, Spain and Portus.S.
| In all !, 800 persons are said TO have comnss.s
| the very considerable attempt at colooizssbs
| The SpaniArds had made no improyemep,, !.
| this quarter, and the colo lists were landed !.
| Mosquito Inlet, at q distance of sevenivf,.
| miles from ST. Augustine, the neares, ss,i~
! ment
The location chosen presented then, a. M
l many features OF natural beauty and mua ~,
been very attractive to these people, who. cn
ing from the green and sunny islands and Cor,
| of the Mediterranean, must have rejoiced IN 4.
perennial verdure and n agnifcent growth ofa.
shores Of Florida
To prepare lands for cultivation and TO NJ
vide for the support of this large numbefs
families was no light task
Much Of this front hammock could be chi
vated after being cleared, but clearing new ls
| 80 heavily GOV cred with forest growth WA
itself hard to accomplish, and no doubt was M
TO be discoul aging beginning to those unu,uj
to anything of the kind in their native land.
DR.. Turnbull evidently was a man Of grea
force of character and intended to CONVEX hh
dense wilderness into a productive and FIRTH
| garden spot. A thorough system Of drainsg,
was projected, which should reel lin thoreurhlv
the great hammock now known as TurnbuIIi
swamp, q nisnomer, As it has none Of the char
acteristics of . swamp as generally understood
Canals miles in extent, with lateral dtches
were laid out systcL .tically, with the view Of
conveying the surplus waters OF the blck lands
into the Hillsboro river. For years, with oil tie
force at his command, these great works were
carried on. Accustomed 10 more sturdy labor
DR.. Turnbull evidently over estimated the en-
durance of his celonists- They at last rebelkl
against this exhaustng labor, which had 70
duced them to sickness and brought on great
mortality. The work had begun 10 be successful
Already large quantities of indigo had been pre-.
pared Tor market and the enterprise seemed on
the verge of success Figs and olives, srsnga
lemons, grapes and the productions Of the Ras
had been naturalized, and continuance oil b.
works already nearing completion would hav,
made New Smyrna . rich and productive CON
munity. Lands had been promised to be giveu
to the colonists, but dissatisfaction arose, and
spirit Of revolt seized upon the community. and
after years of ircessant labor tire whole colony
abandoned, in one night the fair fields and
graves nf the promised land and removed TO 81
Augustine, leaving all their extensive WORK
their cultivated fields and homes to desolaioa
and ruin. No other colony succeeded them Il
few years Florida had reverted to Spain, and
little or no attempt to make use of these desert
ed fields was made until after The transfer 10 The
United States.
The canals and bitches made by the TurnbaT
colony remain enduring monuments Of skiAand
industry. Ancient roads, better than any evei
constructed since, still exist, leading througi
this ancient settlement; the evidences Of culivt
ton, the ridges of ancient fields are TO be dh
cerned in forests of towering size. Nature hs
renewed its sway and regained possession, snt
the dense forest gives little sign of its forms
possessors, except in those great drainage UofEs
which perpetuate the name of Turnbull, and
the expenditure Of over quarter of milllOi
Of dollars
The opening of q railroad to New Smyrni
will revive these plans of culture, and the nch
est body of land in Florida will become again
hive Of human industry.